A Lonely September
by Laiin
Summary: One hundred eight months, that's nine years he's been alone.  He'd never abandon him; it was his fault after all. He sighed, the wind taking the words "I miss you..."


Wow...so it's been a long while since I've posted here. What can I say but real life isn't all fun and games.

For those reading In Your Eyes, I'll get something up soon...this was actually supposed to be for it, but I felt it would do okay on it's own.

This story wrote partly itself and it was finished in the middle of the night. I've spell-checked and re-read to the best of my abilities, so feel free to point out errors, I'm only a lowly uni student. Some parts may be a bit cliche, but hey, it works best which is why it is so cliche.

Anyways...as always...enjoy~

**Disclaimer : All recognizable characters from the Naruto franchise belongs to Kishimoto-sensei and all the affiliates. The others are mine.**

* * *

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us." (1)

The man pacing in front of the auditorium was one of the best speakers in the nation. A lawyer by profession and a leader in the community, he was invited to give a speech to the teens in the center. It was the last speech in the series and he was just about finished. He had talked and gestured and really connected and communicated with the teenagers in the center. He managed to lift the solemn atmosphere and got the crowd to laugh and respond, especially in this last speech.

"So I'll leave you with this last thought; conquer your fear and change the world…or be conquered and forgotten."

He gave a short bow and walked off stage left. The crowd applauded after a long moment of silence, chatter filling in the silence he left behind.

Backstage he was accosted by several assistants and one or two journalists. Telling the last two to contact him later, he brushed off the rest and strode towards the side exit. Just as he was about to leave, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. Glancing back, he saw his old college buddy, tattoos a bright relief on his darkly tanned complexion.

"I know you're in a rush," Kiba started with little preamble. "Just letting you know Sakura expects you for dinner Saturday."

The blond nodded, "I'll bring dessert this time."

A final nod from the man and he swept out of the building, letting the door swing shut behind him.

_(my breaks keep disappearing)_

"Good afternoon Uzumaki-san"

The blonde looked towards the voice as he walked through the doorway, in a hurry since he was late by a few minutes. He berated himself for it – a few minutes late this time might mean a no-show next time. He would not allow himself to be lax.

"Hello Masaharu-san."

The brunette walked back to the counter, smiled at him. "His things are ready to go. He's in the garden as usual."

"Thank you," he called back as he turned towards the hallway leading to the garden, his fast clip bringing him closer.

There seated against the rough back of the old _hinoki_ sat the person he rushed to see. Clad in loose sweatpants and a cotton tee as usual, he looked as gorgeous as he always did. The man looked up from his position and Naruto felt his heart clench. There was no sign of recognition at all. He had come to terms with it, but it still hurt that his once lover would never remember him again. It had been years and the doctors had cautioned him against hope that he would remember ever.

Sitting down on the grass next to him, disregarding his pinstriped suit, he waited for the vacant expression to fade. And fade it did, only to be replaced by a childish expression of glee, and Naruto's heart throbbed again. This was both his punishment and hope.

"Naru!" The voice that came out was not the voice of his lover; it was childish and bright, but at the same time, he could hear the husky tone of his lover. The voice would never bring shivers down his back again.

"Hello Itachi-kun. Are you ready to go?"

The older child-man nodded enthusiastically. And the blond helped pull him up after he stood.

_(my breaks keep disappearing)_

The pair left the home and Naruto drove them to the usual places: a late lunch-early dinner at Ichiraku Ramen and then to the park where they stayed until sunset. It was routine and it made the child-man happy. The blond watched on with a wry smile that faded slowly. It was always what they had planned, even on that fateful day...

_(back into the past...)_

They had just finished eating at Ichiraku and were on their way to the park where they had first met. It was their monthly trip. It was their time to spend tighter during their busy schedule – him finishing grad school and Itachi from his busy work schedule. And so far everything was the same. But this time, they had gotten into some petty argument – for the life of him, Naruto could not remember what the argument was about, but only that it was stupid. And he had ran off, tearing his hand way. In his blind dash, he didn't see the approaching car speeding through the red light. When he came to, he was lying against the median, head throbbing and bleeding from the collision and fall. He called out, voice shrill from panic, and looked around for his lover.

There, lying in the middle of the street where Naruto once stood was his lover. The car that hit him had fled and his beloved was thrown back towards the sidewalk, unconscious but looking unharmed. The owner of the vehicle was never found and while he was fine, his lover would never remember him again.

_(back into the future...)_

As the sun set, he called out to the child-man and he ran up to him, long black hair flying around like raven wings. The child-man threw himself into the blond's arms, face nuzzling the slightly taller man's neck. Naruto hugged his once lover to himself.

"Happy anniversary Itachi," he murmured.

It had been seventeen years since they first got together; nine years since the incident and every month on the seventh, they would go eat ramen and come to the park. It was always the same routine. He did not expect the child-man in his arms to respond or remember, but he would not leave him and find another. He sighed.

"I love you my Naruto."

The blond froze in shock and pulled back to look at the child-man in his arms. The dark eyes he loved shone with a hidden light. Nine year… He felt tears come to his eyes and he lowered himself back towards the child—no his lover in his arms; his arms tightened around the lithe body.

Their lips brushed once, twice, a third time before melding into one.

As if the world had stopped holding its breath for that moment, a final bird call rang through the air and the first star appeared in the darkening velvet of the sky, right where night met day.

"I missed you…"

* * *

So~ verdict?

I hope you enjoyed this little drabble turned one-shot. Leave a message/review/comment about anything in this story or otherwise. Ja~

(1) Quote from Marianne Williamson.

**ETA **: So apparently ffnet took out my breaks...and it was slightly confusing. I've added different breaks in and hopefully it's better. Let me know if anything confusing you all~

**Final Edit : Oct. 28, 2010**


End file.
